Waking up early one splendid morning
(3/26/00), I saw that spring had sprung with a vengeance. I
wandered outside and decided that it was time that I
revisited a place that I had only seen in passing last fall,
the Lonsdale Twin Drive-In, north of Pawtucket, Rhode
Island. Before I went, I decided to check "drive-ins.com" to
see what other drive-ins were local to that area. I came up
with a few that I thought I could try and find. These
included the Providence Pawtucket. Drive-In (Providence,
RI-closed), the Lonsdale Twin Drive-In (Lincoln, RI-closed),
the Rustic Tri-View Drive-In (N. Smithfield, RI-open), the
Bellingham Auto Theatre (Bellingham, MA-closed), the Quaker
Drive-In (Uxbridge, MA-closed), the Mendon Twin Drive-In
(Mendon, MA-open), and the Sutton Motor-In (Sutton,
MA-closed). I figured that if I couldn't knock off seven
screens in a few hours, then I wasn't doing my job right! So
I set off to search these out. I decided to make a big loop
out of the process, starting with the Rustic and ending at
the Lonsdale (with some hopefully great sunset
pictures).

The Rustic

After passing through Providence on
north I-95, the exit for Route 146 comes up quick (coming
south its a bit easier). Route 146 was an older road, but
much of it was taken away when the road was improved. As it
passes through the Lincoln Woods area (both the park and the
race track), you have entered the Blackstone River Valley
National Heritage Corridor. This corridor is not
administered like a battlefield or other National Park, but
is a cooperative agreement between the National Park Service
and local governments, businesses, and private citizens.

The route north passes 116 (where a
great
sign from an early motel still
exists right off the exit) and shortly passes I-295 (the
easier access coming from the north or south of Providence)
where the road returns to its original feel. Here you will
see the Rustic on the south side of the highway. There is a
turning lane at the stoplight where you can make a U-Turn.
(Make sure you get a glance at the Coffee
and Cream sign.)

Leaving the Rustic is a bit tougher.
If at all possible, I would suggest finding somewhere to
park on the northbound side and dodging traffic. If not, you
have to go all the way down to the interchange and turn
around. It's a bit of a hassle. As you come back north,
there will be a "milk
bottle" building that is
vacant and on a lot without any paving. Still seems to be in
good condition, but a peek inside revealed several paint
cans that seemed to be left over from the 1970's. Not a good
future for that building it seems.

Returning north, 146 will branch into
146 and 146A. Take 146 north for a few more miles until you
see another exit for 146A north. If you cross the
Massachusetts line, you will have missed the exit though it
isn't terribly hard to get to from the next exit. The exit
will be an exit for Slatersville, and may not say 146A.
Follow this route for a short distance, where you will see a
sign for "Drive In Self Storage."

The Quaker Drive In

Turning at the sign for "Drive In Self Storage," the large screen will loom above the self storage units built on the former viewing area. A space
is still cleared out from the area, so getting to the former
site is still quite easy. The screen seems to be in good
condition and the structure is still solid. The Blackstone
River and Canal are about 100 yards from the rear of the
screen. This section of the canal is actually part of the
river.

Returning to 146A, I drove north to
Uxbridge. Here the Blackstone River Valley NHC is in full
swing. I started to get sidetracked into the corridor at
this point. I followed signs for the Visitors center and
found a great place to spend some time if you have it to
canoe, read, learn, or just sit and watch the water go by.
The Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park was being
staffed by a wonderful gentleman who pointed me in the
direction of all the drive ins on my list and provided me a
map of the area that was a bit more detailed.

The area is fantastic. Passing from
Uxbridge to the north, the route to the visitors center
turns at North Uxbridge and passes through Rogerson's
Village and the Crown and Eagle Mill. This mill has a side
branch of the Mumford River pass under it in dramatic
fashion. Continuing east on Route 16, the sign for the
Visitors Center might come up quickly, but if you pass over
the bridge, turn back and make sure you find it. It is a
worthy side diversion from a Drive-In day. This might be a
good place to take lunch. Also make sure to ask the staff if
they can point you to the other drive-ins. No guarantees but
worth a try. Here I discovered that the Sutton screens were
further up 146, headed towards Worcester. I decided that
they were a bit too far out of my way and instead turned my
attention to the others. (I did finally make it up there
later, but those pictures will be posted later. Trust me its
worth it.) I knew that since I found this Heritage Park, I
would need all the time I could get to make it to the
Lonsdale. I was told that the Sutton screens were still
standing and were on the wrong side of the highway, if you
are going north.

Continuing east on Route 16, you will
pass more National Corridor items until you enter Milford.
Suddenly you are aware of what the Corridor has allowed
these communities to become. Milford is stocked with
suburban sprawl-pharmacies, burger joints, and the like.
Quickly turn on to Route 140 and put your blinders on. Route
140 is almost entirely outside of the Corridor, and it
shows.

The Bellingham Auto
Theater

Turning from Route 140 to Route 126 in
the town center, the landscape gets a bit more residential.
The route will start to build up to a point where there is a
five way intersection. Coming south on 126, the turn that
you need to take is almost a 60 degree turn back toward the
same direction you have been coming, or to the left.
Following this out a bit, a large screen will loom into
sight. The sign
is small and could be easy to
miss but it is still standing, in as poor shape as possible
and still standing. The screen
seems to be in decent condition,
but could probably use some fixing on the top parts. The
field is grassy and overgrown but still has some pavement.

Returning back to the road you had
just entered on, and going south to the major intersection,
you may want to stay straight and go through Woonsocket.
Woonsocket is an interesting town with a great deal of
mills. If you are so inclined, visit the Museum of Work and
Culture run by the Rhode Island Historical Society. This is
also the location of the National Corridor offices. If you
don't feel like visiting, continue south on 122. This passes
by the headquarters of CVS and then over 295. The road will
pass by Ashton, an interesting mill village and through
Berkley. I could feel my time getting tight, so I hurried
on.

The Lonsdale Twin
Drive-In

Continuing south on 122, and just past
a sign for the Ann and Hope Mills (worthy in their own right
of a visit), the sign
for the Lonsdale will appear.
The once vibrant colors still show themselves on the north
entrance sign. If you continue up to the traffic light, and
turn left, you will find the second entrance to this drive
in. This
sign is also standing. Visible
from the road is one standing screen and the driveway.

By this time of the day, I knew I wouldn't make it to my final drive-in, the Providence Pawtucket drive in. I wouldn't even know where to begin to find this last screen. I got back on to I-95 and headed home. I felt good knowing that I had visited a several of the screens that had provided a needed diversion on those long Saturday nights during the summers from the mill workers and their families. Even as the mills began to close some of these theaters were full into their swing, providing the diversion so desperately needed from the desperation of losing ones job. To see another Saturday night in the place where Industrial America began, was perhaps one of my more interesting jaunts, and I hope that it becomes one of yours too.s one of my
more interesting jaunts, and I hope that it becomes one of
yours too.